Death Will Follow
by Javarack
Summary: Sachi, a young woman who feared violence and death. When the VRMMORPG, Sword Art Online, was released, she believed it could be an escape from her past. When the players learn they are trapped, Sachi will be forced to relive the experience of death. Follow her as she comes to the realization that death will always follow.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey everyone, Javarack here. This is my first posted Sword Art Online story. I really enjoy writing these and you can expect many more.**

 **This story is a co-write with:** **furrballnerd** **Please check out their page. We hope you all enjoy! ~Javarack**

* * *

"No!" I shouted and jolted upwards, waking from my horrible dream, my tears mixed with the cold sweat that drenched my body. Looking down, I noticed my hands were trembling violently, and I could not suppress the feeling of absolute despair that ravaged my mind.

I glanced over at the clock resting on my bedside table, "2:01, still a while longer."

Rising off of my mattress, I made my way to the lavatory. Turning the knob on the wall, warm water began to pour from the showerhead. Letting my nightgown fall to the tiled floor, I stepped inside of the shower.

As the liquid rushed over my body, the dream returned to me.

* * *

A loud crashing noise sounded from downstairs. I rose from my small bed and crept across my room, being as silent as I could. Opening my solid oak door, I ran across the hall to my parents room. Seeing that they were still asleep, I clambered onto their bed, causing them to stir from their slumber. They both glared at me for waking them.

"There was a loud bang, I'm scared," I explained, my emotional terror mixing with my voice.

The large door swung open and my older brother was thrown against the wooden flooring. Three men dressed in black clothing entered the room, each holding a different handgun. "Stay quiet, or we shoot the boy," the tallest assailant spoke. They pointed their weapons at us and one grabbed my father, forcing him into one of the chairs located at the small work desk.

I remained silent as the other two men restrained both of my parents to the chairs at the work station. One came over to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me upwards off the bed. Tossing me down on the floor, a small sound escaped my lips as I made contact with the wooden flooring, the wind being knocked out of me.

"Don't hurt her, please," I could hear my mother plead.

The sound of skin connecting with skin filled my ears as one of the men backhanded her across the face.

"Mommy!" I cried, "don't hurt my mommy!"

Arms wrapped around me as my brother held me, "be quiet, we will be hurt if we aren't sis."

Even at my young age, I knew he spoke the truth. My whole body was shaking as the men began to wrap rope around our hands and feet, and placed tape over our mouths. Hot tears streamed down my face as I watched two of the men exited the room.

"You're one fine looking bitch," The remaining man commented as he made his way to my mother. "I could do so many things to you."

My father broke his silence, "Stay away from her you pig!"

Then, the gates of hell opened. Raising his weapon, he pointed the firearm at my father's head, "Say it again."

The final words I would ever hear my father speak, "You pig."

A small flash erupted from the muzzle of the weapon as the .22 caliber bullet left the chamber. A bloodcurdling screech left my mother as my father's blood splattered against her face.

Footsteps sounded from the doorway as the other two men rejoined the third, "What did you do?!"

"I-I over re-reacted, I'm s-sorry boss," The murder answered nervously.

"Come with me rookie," the one they referred to as boss ordered, then pointed at the last man. "Clean this up."

Nodding, the tallest invader made his way to my quivering mother, while the other two left the room. Looking over at my brother and me, the man raised his finger to his lips, telling us to remain silent. Arriving at his destination, the man placed his firearm against my mother's blood covered temple. Another shot caused my ears to ring as I watched my mother's head slump over, lifeless.

Swinging his weapon over to us, another shot was fired. Blood covered the left side of my body as my brother fell into my lap, a hole through his chest. I looked back up, my vision blurry from the tears that filled them. Bang.

* * *

I opened my eyes, staring at the wall in front of me. Feeling down, I found the spot just below my right breast where the bullet had entered me. A shiver ran through my entire figure as my finger pressed slightly into the scar.

Turning the stream of water off, I stepped onto the towel located outside my tub. Wrapping myself in another bath towel, I left the bathroom and sat on the edge of my bed.

 _Sword Art Online comes out in a few hours. A virtual world...a place I can finally escape my past._

Now unable to sleep, I sat there, waiting for the sun to rise. As light began to filter in my room through my shutters, I got off my mattress.

I quickly got dressed, then left my small apartment. Running to the nearest gaming store, I took my place in line.

Time passed, and in my hands I held the two items that would be my saviors. The Nervegear and my very own copy of Sword Art Online.

 _I'll play for a while tonight, so I better eat now._

Returning home, I placed the Nervegear and game on my small work desk and went to my kitchen. Pouring a glass of water and heating up my leftovers from the previous night, I began to devour my food.

Finishing, I walked over to the wooden table that served as a working station for school. Setting the Nervegear headset up, I inserted Sword Art Online into my counsel. Placing the item over my head, I went through the initial setup procedures. My vision returned to normal, and I was gazing at my ceiling.

I took a deep breath, then spoke, "Link start!"

* * *

 **A/N: Chapter 2 will be written shortly. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoy. Leave a review so we can both improve our future stories. Thanks again, Javarack**

 **PS: I would like to reiterate that this is a co-write, and I cannot take full responsibilty.** **u/4793840/furrballnerd**


	2. Chapter 2

Bright colors flashed into my view as I felt my body being lifted, slowly disconnecting from it. It was an eerie feeling but something I was sure I'd get used to. Quickly I was brought to a character creation menu, seeing a blank slate of a human outline as my canvas on which I would create my new identity.

 _A new me… hm_. I pondered over how I should look, even briefly considering a full revamp and coming out as a buff and intimidating male. Dismissing it as my friends would only make fun of me after I finally found them, I browsed the different options ahead of me, hitting random a few times to see some possible combinations. As the game suggested, I kept the height and weight parameters the same so it wouldn't be too much of an adjustment for my new body. Otherwise, I was met with a variety of interesting, albeit peculiar, looks.

Running through a few more chance creations, one or two being far too odd for my taste, I figured I had an idea for my avatar. Grabbing some fiery red hair, I picked a longer and more defined face, trying to look older. _Hate feeling like a kid…_ I thought, knowing how all those years ago, the most penetrating feeling I had, was uselessness.

Finally, I was satisfied with the look I would be sporting (with the game's promise that I could alter it at any time) as well as the idea of using a long spear and hit the big blue circle to show my confirmation. I jumped using my ethereal body as a big red hexagon popped out in front of me with a large ERROR in my face.

Scanning up through the options, I hit the top and saw a flashing INSERT USERNAME HERE. Blinking at this, I realized I had forgotten to put in the name I had been thinking over for the last few days. The guys had told me that I shouldn't use my real name as there were unsavory persons out there that might take advantage of any information they could get. ' _Also'_ Our club president had reminded me, ' _if you want to be a new person, it should be a completely new identity.'_ After final consideration, I punched in the name the guys had suggested to me, though first taking a second trying to figure out if it was more ironic or depressing. I pressed accept again as the screen in front of me took the information and a bright light engulfed my whole person. I felt my being altered slightly as a bright light brought me to an open courtyard.

Glancing around, I saw a plethora of other players bustling by, all sporting similar clothing with only color variants. They also had a wide range of weapon types, but they all appeared to be simple ones. I didn't want to waste time looking for my friends, but I couldn't help but poke my sides with my fingers, testing the realism of the game. As far as I could tell, this could be the real me in a real world. Walking past some shops, I found a sheen circular shield and picked it up, peering into it. _My face… is gone. I really do look like this…_

A man standing over the shop looked over at me and smiled. "Anything I can get an adventurer like yourself?" Above his head in thick letters was NPC SHOPKEEPER. _He seems so real…How do I select how to talk to him?_ I looked down for a possible menu or anything, but nothing appeared.

"Um, no thank you?" I tentatively replied as I put the shield back down, unsure if speech was the proper response. He nodded satisfied and went back to looking straight forward, waiting for another customer. _This world… It really is one of its own._

I walked off slowly, all the while being amazed as to the possibilities of having my own identity and life here. _I could get away from it all…_

As I perused the Town of Beginnings, I looked for the exit to the fields, remembering my friends had all wanted to meet there. As I looked around I saw a few players busy with their own friends and buying things. Not one for speaking up and interrupting them, I searched for someone who was alone.

Ahead of me I saw a kid running in my direction with blue clothing. I needed directions and he seemed alone, so I chose him. _I need to break my shell with this new body…_ I reached out a bit and said a probably too soft, "excuse me" as he ran by. Sliding on his heels to stop, he turned to look at me. His avatar was completely plain, possibly the default one, his clothes were a dark blue, and there was a single sword hanging over his shoulder. _Um…_ I froze a bit.

Looking at me quizzically, he eyed my look and came out with, "Nice avatar."

"T-thanks. Um. I… Could you show me the way to the… where the monsters and outside…" I felt myself tightening up approaching a total stranger like this.

"You need to know where the fields are… miss?" he asked, his tone seemed unsure with the last word, as if questioning my actual gender.

I simply nodded, too worried about fumbling over my words again.

Turning towards where he was running, he pointed off, "head that way and take a right when you see the wooden armor stand. Keep going till you see the plaza."

"A-Arigato…" I trailed off, not knowing the boy's name, with a slight head bow.

"Good luck." He flashed a smile and sped off again, only to be caught by another player, this time a pink haired guy with a bandanna.

Following his directions, I made my way out of the city. Seeing a few straggling people headed off to the fields or back to the city, I scanned for my friends. Under a large tree sat thee boys, with one more lying flat on his back. Gingerly I walked over towards them. All eyes on me as I approached, I cleared my throat and started with a light, "Hey."

"Are you looking for something, miss?" _Again with this 'Miss.' What the heck?_

"It's me guys. Computer club?"

At that every single eye popped open in disbelief, the one lying down springing up to a startled sitting position. I hid my face with one of my hands and some of my new red hair, suddenly embarrassed.

* * *

"Wow, so Mik… I mean Sachi, it's amazing how different you look." Ducker remarked as we walked through the fields.

"Heh, I feel kinda weird in this body actually. Like I'm not actually me. But that's a good thing I think." I finished, feeling more positive about my look, having received nothing but approval from my friends.

Having taught me the basics of the menu, they showed me how to materialize my items, surprising me when a large spear appeared in front of my face, forcing me to catch it. It was surprisingly light. Now walking with it in my hands, I marveled at the fact that we were going off to Physically Kill a monster. It kept me jittery in nervousness as well as a tinge of fear, knowing I've never been into violence. _This will be a big change…_

"Okay Sachi, this one is yours," our leader, Keita, said, remembering my new name.

I walked forward uneasily as the Wild Boar stared me down. Holding my spear out in front of me, I waited for it to charge, simply using my length advantage as a plan to win. As it ran towards me, I kept the spear's tip pointed at its head. It got closer towards me, almost to my weapon, when I faltered and ended up being thrown on my ass, my health bar showing a bit of a decrease. _No pain…_ I thought as I stood back up. Taking a deep breath, I trained my weapon at the monster again as shouts of encouragement came behind me, "You can do it Sachi!"

Feeling a bit more confident, especially after seeing my friends take their turns, I waited for the boars charge, but this time stabbed forward as it approached. My spear struck through the creature's skull as it stopped dead, impaled on my pole. After a final squeal, it burst into a plethora of floating lights and a small window appeared in front of me, proclaiming my victory and winnings.

* * *

Having fought monsters for the last hour or so, we regrouped and headed back towards the town. That was until we ran into a small circle of people. "C'mon guys. Let's check it out." our unofficial leader suggested.

Walking forward, we arrived in time to see one player get knocked backwards onto the ground, a large banner of DEFEAT thrown over him. Slowly, we watched the boy stand again, and walk over to his opponent.

"Oh cmon. It's no fun if you just lunge out with your sword and win instantly. There's no sport in that." The boy, no older than myself, punched the winner's arm playfully, trying to evoke a response.

"Okay, okay. You make the duel this time." The other one said, visibly years older, probably a young adult.

The loser walked back a few feet and made swiped his menu a few times. Watching the other's surprised look, we saw him smile softly before confirming. A large timer and banner appeared between the teens. TOTAL LOSS MODE In big letters. _A fight to… the death?_ I shifted my body uncomfortably, not entertained by the thought in the slightest.

"Ready Onii-san?" The challenger taunted.

"Loser buys food after they respawn, Otouto," he smiled, sure of himself.

 _Brothers…_

The timer struck zero and both boys launched forward with imposing shouts. Quickly trading blows, neither of them able to defend very well, their health bars hit yellow, the older brother before the younger. During a lull, they continued their taunts, though neither of their fighting styles were much to speak of. "That all you got?"

"Please, you haven't seen anything yet."

They continued their battle, the older brother jumping over the younger at one point, both of them becoming ragged in their breathing.

Stopping, both of their healths turning red, the match was about to be over.

"Hey little brother." The older fighter started. "Say goodnight!" He shouted, bending his arm back behind his head. His sword began to glow a bright purple as he smiled widely. His challenger seemed lost as to what to do, and simply stood there in shock. The crowd cheered at the site, egging on the fight and happy to see such a strong finish.

The young man launched forward with his sword extended, his speed amazingly quick. The blade pierced the younger's chest and ran through him, going hilt deep.

The crowd broke into a roar of approval as the boys health dropped to nothing and he disappeared in a bounty of shining lights. The older brother whooped and held up his sword victoriously.

It was then that a large bell rang out.

 **A/N: So for anyone curious, yes that was Kirito and Otouto is 'little brother.' (The brothers were made up, the only time Kirito is in this chapter is when Sachi ask for directions. Sorry for the confusion! ~Javarack) Sorry this took so long. I'm sure my partner is much quicker in his chapters than I am.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**

 **~furrballnerd**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hello everyone, Javarack here. Thank you for the continued support on this story! I have completed chapter 3, and Furrballnerd is going to begin work on chapter 4. This chapter is mostly the scene when Kayaba greets the players, but I have changed a few things. Let us know what you think! ~Javarack**

"Where am I?" I whispered to myself as the blue light receded from my figure.

Looking around, I saw a plethora of people. Confusion filled my mind as I glanced around. _Wait… I was just here… This is the starting town.'_

I heard a few mumbles before people began to shout, "What's happening?"

"Can we log out now?"

 _What does he mean? You can log out anytime._ I swiped my finger downward and the in-game menu opened before me. I went to the options menu and saw a blank space where the logout button was originally located. I shook my head a few times, then closed the menu. Beside me, Ducker was going through his menu, coming to the same realization that I had.

People continued to comment on the sudden forced teleport to the plaza of the Town of Beginnings, but one voice could be heard above the rest, "Ah! Look above!"

I shot my head upwards, watching as the bottom of the second floor, one hundred meters in the air, began to turn red. It appeared in a hexagonal pattern, with words crisscrossing each other, saying Warning and System Announcement. The sky continued to change, until the entire underside of the next floor was bathed in a blood red color.

A liquid began to ooze out of the pattern, and it looked similar to blood. _'Blood…'_ The new liquid began to morph, and it appeared to be taking a humanoid form. A twenty meter tall man was floating there, wearing a hooded robe. Confusion and dread swirled around in my conscience. The air was crackling with tension as the other players waited for some sign that this was all supposed to occur.

I trained my eyes on the hood. I could clearly see inside of it, but all that welcomed my probing vision was nothingness. No face. No sign of humanity.

Players began to call out again, "Is that a GM?"

"Why doesn't it have a face?"

Then the right hand of the enormous robe waved, as if to silence them. A white gloved hand appeared from beneath the folds of the robe. Like the rest of the figure, it had no connection to a body, just a floating glove held by darkness. The left arm began to rise, and another glove appeared. With its two disembodied hands, the man spread out the sleeves of his robe, as if to embrace all of the players.

A low and calm voice resonated from high in the air, "Players, I welcome you to my world."

My muscles relaxed slightly, the thought that this was a developer of the game eased my mind. _'He is going to tell us that the log out glitch is being repaired, and we will be able to return home soon.'_

The GM began to speak once again, "My name is Kayaba Akihiko. Right now, I am the only person who can control this world."

A player shouted, "Kayaba?! The creator NerveGear and Sword Art Online?"

' _He created this? All of this?'_

"You are correct," Kayaba continued. "Now, I believe most of you have discovered the fact that the log out button has disappeared from the main menu. This is not a bug, it is all part of Sword Art Online's system."

I heard a faint whisper from the left side of me, "Part of… the system?"

"Until you get to the top of this castle, you cannot log out of your own free will," Kayaba continued.

' _Castle? There isn't a building like that anywhere around.'_

What Kayaba said next destroyed any thought of living a normal life that remained in my mind, "Also, the discontinuation or dismantling of the NerveGear from the outside is strictly forbidden. If these things are attempted…"

Silence, not a single sound could be heard. The suspense of what Kayaba was waiting to say could be felt across the plaza, jumping in between ten-thousand avatars.

Kayaba's last sentence came slowly, "The signal sensors in your NerveGear will emit a strong electromagnetic pulse, destroying your brain and stopping all basic function."

It felt like any breath I had just left my lungs, and I coughed. Fear raced through my mind, _'Destroy our brains...All that means is that it will...kill us. No! There is no way video game can kill you!'_ Players began to mutter, but no sign of panic revealed itself. Either the players did not believe what they had just heard, or, like me, refused to.

Keita was standing next to me, and he held his head in his hands. His pupils were dilated, and his body was ravaged by tremors. Utter despair at the situation, _'Just like back then…'_ That sight broke me, and I fell to my knees.

"To be a little more specific, dislocation from an outside source of electricity for more than ten minutes, being cut off from the system for more than two hours, or any attempt to unlock, dismantle, or destroy NerveGear. If any of these conditions are met, the brain destruction sequence will start. These conditions have been made known to the government and the public through mass-media in the outside world. On that note, there have been several cases where the relatives or friends have ignored the warnings and tried to forcefully get rid of the NerveGear. The result…" Kayaba took a breath before continuing, "regretfully, 213 players have already exited this game, and the real world forever."

In the distance, I heard a long thin scream. No one else spoke, still forcing themselves to reject what Kayaba was saying.

Kayaba's monotone voice took the remaining hope of all the people, "Players, there is no need to worry about the bodies that you have left on the other side. As of this moment, all TV, radio, and internet media are all repeatedly reporting this situation, including the fact that there have been numerous deaths. The danger of having your NerveGear taken off has already disappeared. In a moment, using the two hours I have given, all of you will be transported to hospitals or similar institutes and be given the best treatment. So you can relax...and focus on beating the game."

To the left of me, about twenty meters away, I saw the boy that had given me directions. He was looking towards the sky, and I could hear him shouting, "What are you saying!? Beat the game!? You want us to play around in a situation like this!?"

The final phrase the boy yelled confirmed what Kayaba had been saying, "This isn't a game anymore!"

Once again, Kayaba spoke, as if reiterating the fact the boy had just stated, "But I ask of you all to understand that Sword Art Online is no longer a simple game. It is a second reality...from now on, any form of revival in the game will no longer work. The moment that your HP reaches zero, your avatar is gone forever, and at the same time, your brain will be destroyed by the NerveGear."

I heard a body fall, and looked up from the ground to see the man that had beaten his brother in a duel. Tears were streaming down his face, "No…"

A small bar was glowing in the top corner of my vision, 324/324. _'That is my life, the only thing that is holding me to my real body.'_

Kayaba's voice boomed, "Players, there is only one way to be freed from this game, as I have said before, you must get to the top of Aincrad, the one hundredth floor and defeat the final boss that resides there. All players still alive at that time will be immediately logged out of the game. I give you all my word."

Dead silence. Not a single soul made a sound. Then, next to the boy who had spoken out, an older man began to shout, "Clear...all one hundred floors!? How do you want us to do that!? I heard that getting up that high was crazy hard, even during beta testing."

The silence gave way to low murmuring, but no one panicked.

Kayaba continued, void of all emotion, "Then I will show you evidence that this the only reality. In your inventories there will be a gift from me. Please confirm this."

I swiped my finger down slowly. The plaza was filled with the sound of ringing bells. Everything that Kayaba had just said had made me light headed. Using what my friends had taught me, I found the items button and pressed it, bringing up a side menu. A new item had appeared, Hand Mirror. I pressed the Make Into Object icon and a mirror appeared in my hand.

I gazed into the mirror, but all that looked back at me was the red hair of the avatar I had chosen. Then, I was engulfed by white light. A few seconds passed, and I was still looking into the mirror, but what greeted me was completely different than it was just a few moments ago. I saw my black hair, with its shiny blue tint, and my small face, just like I had in the real world. _'It is...me.'_

All of my friends that were around me looked just like they did yesterday. People surrounded me, they all looked like a normal human would. Average height, multiple age ranges, but they looked human. Everyday people that you would pass by on the streets of Tokyo.

"You all will most probably be wondering 'why.' Why am I-the creator of both NerveGear and SAO, Kayaba Akihiko-doing something like this? Is this a sort of terrorist attack? Is he doing this to ransom us?" Kayaba paused for a moment before continuing. "None of these is the reason I am doing this. Not only that, but now for me, there is no longer a reason or purpose in doing this. The reason is because...this situation itself was my purpose in doing this. To create and watch this world is the only reason I have created the NerveGear and Sword Art Online. And now, everything has been realized."

"Now I have finished the official tutorial for Sword Art Online. Players, I wish you luck." Then the robe started to go into the red sky, almost as if it was melting into the cracks of the floor.

The game returned to normal around me, and now, finally, the players gave a proper reaction.

"It's a joke right…? The hell is this? It's a joke right!?"

"Stop kidding around! Let me out! Let me out of here!"

"No! You can't! I've got to meet someone soon!"

"I don't like this! I'm gonna go home! I want to go home!"

Yells. Clamors. Shouts. Curses. Begging. And screaming.

' _Death, it is all around me. I can't escape…'_

A hand grabbed my shoulder, and Ducker shook me, "Let's go Sachi, we should go to an inn and rest."

I could not respond, dread gripped my conscious and strangled my brain, immobilizing me. Keita grasped my arm and pulled me to my feet. My fellow computer club members, almost dragging me, began going to the inn. People were running around frantically, while some were just standing in the spot they had been teleported to, dumbfounded at what had just occurred.

We entered the inn, and Keita purchased two rooms for the night with the starting money that had been given, as everything was reset. We made our way up the stairs and entered one room.

"We need to decide what to do," Keita explained. "We can't just give up on our lives."

' _Do whatever you want, I just want to stay here...forever. In this town.'_

Every member of computer club talked, except me. They came up with a plan for tomorrow, but I tuned out of the discussion. The meeting broke apart, and we split up and went into two different rooms. I was stumbling, and Ducker offered me the bed. I collapsed onto the mattress. The terror of what had just been revealed still ravaged my mind, and I couldn't sleep.

 **A/N: Chapter 4 will return to our own thoughts, and will not follow the anime/light novels nearly as much. Thanks for the support! ~Javarack**


	4. UPDATE

**Hey all, Javarack here! I am SO sorry for not updating any of my stories, or posting new ones. I am still working on them, I haven't forgotten about you guys. You've supported me, and I thank you. I have entered my toughest year of schooling to date, and it takes up all of my time. Some of the classes are AP Physics, Chemistry, Dual Credit US History, etc. I still feel terrible for not informing everyone.**

 **How my time will be spent:**

 **1) Homework**

 **2) Family Affairs**

 **3) Relaxation (Time with friends, movies, concerts, etc.)**

 **4) Fanfiction**

 **The above list shows you how I will be spending my free time for this year. I'm sure you can understand why I need time to relax with the stress of school. I will continue writing, so do not worry.**

 **Thank you for understanding! I love all of my followers, and will try my hardest to continue writing for you. If you would like, PM me at anytime.**

 **Comment anything you would like, good luck wishes, chapter ideas, or your own opinions. I will have more information for you later, but for now, I will be focusing on my studies. ~Javarack**

 **P.S. I would like to thank a few of my followers, for helping me and guiding me. They should know who they are. ~Javarack**


End file.
